Our History

The early years of St. Hilda’s School remain something of a mystery. It was founded in 1891 at 2 Rothamsted Avenue by a Miss Craig and moved to its present home in Douglas Road sometime around the turn of the century. Boys were accepted as well as girls and pupils could stay on until school leaving age. Miss Craig was succeeded by a Miss Fisher and then Miss Lowe during the early years of the century. Then, in the 1920s and ’30s, the School was run by joint headmistresses – Miss Pierpoint and Miss Hilton. They were replaced sometime around World War II by Miss Hallett and Miss Hanson.

Unfortunately school registers only go back to 1941 and there is little documentation of any activities or achievements pre-1950 when the school was taken over by Colonel and Mrs. Hutchinson. It has remained in the Hutchinson family ever since, during which time it has been extended and the facilities greatly improved. When Mrs Hutchinson died in 1966, her husband carried on as headmaster until ill health forced him to hand over to his deputy, Mrs Williams, in 1981. In the late 1980s St. Hilda’s became a school purely for girls.

Mary Piachaud, elder daughter of Colonel and Mrs Hutchinson, took over as headmistress in 1986 and under her leadership many further improvements to the school were undertaken. Mrs Piachaud retired in 2002 at which time Mrs Schofield (later to become Mrs Williams) took over as headmistress, to be succeeded by Mrs Godlee in 2008. The current Headmaster, Mr Sayers, has been in post since 2015.

"St Hilda’s provides a perfect mix of being kind and nurturing, whilst at the same time building the girls’ confidence and challenging them to do more and try new things. Both our girls are very happy there and constantly surprise me with the breadth of activities they talk about doing at school."

Current Parent

"“Pupils’ attitudes to learning are outstanding.”

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ISI Report 2019

"I love the emphasis St Hilda’s places on an all round education. The opportunities for developing talents in music, art, public speaking and drama are fantastic. It’s wonderful to see the confidence of children grow."